# CVE-2022-1438: Keycloak: xss on impersonation under specific circumstances

> An attacker can execute arbitrary scripts via unsanitized HTML entities during user impersonation in Keycloak, potentially compromising user sessions.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 20 Sep 2023
- **Updated:** 24 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-w354-2f3c-qvg9

## What is CVE-2022-1438?

CVE-2022-1438 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Redhat Keycloak, published on 20 Sep 2023. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A flaw was found in Keycloak. Under specific circumstances, HTML entities are not sanitized during user impersonation, resulting in a Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability.

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-1438?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.keycloak:keycloak-services. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.keycloak:keycloak-services` | Maven | All versions to 21.0.0 | None |
| `org.keycloak:keycloak-services` | Maven | All versions to 21.0.0 | None |

Products: Redhat Keycloak.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-1438?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-1438 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-1438 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Redhat Keycloak

- [CVE-2022-4361](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-4361/): Keycloak vulnerable to cross-site scripting when validating URI-schemes on SAML and OIDC (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2022-1245](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-1245/): Keycloak vulnerable to privilege escalation on Token Exchange feature (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-20195](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-20195/): keycloak Self Stored Cross-site Scripting vulnerability (critical 9.6)
- [CVE-2019-14910](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-14910/): Keycloak Authentication Error (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2019-14909](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-14909/): Keycloak Authentication Error (critical 9.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-1438 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-1438 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Redhat Keycloak, published on 20 Sep 2023. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-1438 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.keycloak:keycloak-services (Maven): affected all versions up to 21.0.0; no fix listed
- org.keycloak:keycloak-services (Maven): affected all versions up to 21.0.0; no fix listed

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-1438/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-1438/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-1438
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-1438
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-1438

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-1438/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.